Patrick Roy and Colorado Avalanche Team Structure

Colorado Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy has a clear vision of what he wants the team to look like. His seemingly perplexing moves are a part of the larger plan.

In scrolling through Twitter recently, I came across a theme that comes up periodically with the Colorado Avalanche (or probably any team). Fans wonder if head coach Patrick Roy has “seen the light” regarding certain players.

This has been a theme that has centered on various players this season alone, including Brandon Gormley, Nikita Zadorov, Andreas Martinsen, Nate Guenin and Brad Stuart. The general consensus has usually been that the first two (Gormley and Zadorov) deserve more ice time, and the last three deserve little or no ice time.

Fans and sports writers usually base their opinions on a comparison or a general evaluation of a player’s skill set. For instance, the opinion came up repeatedly that fans would rather see Gormley in the lineup over Guenin. (Ironically, both exited the lineup almost at the same time — more on that shortly.) Likewise, most fans shake their heads when Martinsen gets slotted into a top line.

These opinions generally take on the tone of “Why isn’t Patrick Roy seeing what is so clear?” What they mean, though, is, “Why isn’t Patrick Roy seeing what I see?”

I’ve already documented that I think that type of sentiment is, well, arrogant, so I’m not going to go into that aspect of the matter. Instead, let’s take a look behind the curtains. Patrick Roy is renowned for being honest in interviews, and if you listen carefully and watch what he does, you can get an inkling of what he’s trying to accomplish.

Next: Power Forwards